One Good Turn
by Blackford
Summary: When Aladdin and Jasmine are left in charge of ruling Agrabah while the Sultan is away, they need to work together and overcome their flaws to defend against an attack on the city.
1. Chapter 1

**One Good Turn**

_Characters © are owned by Walt Disney Corp._

The soothing touch of the bright dawn roused her. Jasmine awoke as the first slants of morning light penetrated her window and crept into the soft covers of her bed, gently placing their warmth upon her body and congenially bidding her welcome to the start of a new day. The Princess of Agrabah slowly opened her lustrous eyes and stirred like a flower beginning to bloom.

She stretched herself out across her bed as she took in the enfolding embrace of the sun's rays. Turning her pretty face toward the window, Jasmine gazed outside to see the light shining over her bustling, prosperous city. She smiled at the picturesque view, and then gave a small yawn as she prepared herself for starting a new day.

Jasmine rose from her bed and began to dress for the day. As she proceeded, Jasmine hummed a cheerful melody and thought about what she was going to do first. Her father, the Sultan, was out of Agrabah at this time. He had gone away on a diplomatic summit with a neighboring kingdom for a few weeks, and now Jasmine and Aladdin were left in charge of taking care of the city in the Sultan's absence.

Jasmine planned to make sure that the palace was tidy, and to see that the poorest citizens of Agrabah were fed. Ever since Jasmine had discovered firsthand how desperately impoverished some of the city's people were, she and Aladdin had worked together on a number of efforts to rescue the most destitute families from hunger and starvation. Thanks to their efforts, many of Agrabah's poorest citizens had been saved from a life of perpetual hunger and want. It was one of Jasmine's happiest moments to see these families cared for.

_Aladdin helped me to clearly see the hardships of Agrabah's needy,_ she thought. _I already loved him, but when he helped to rescue so many of our people from hopeless poverty, it simply made me love him all the more._

She couldn't wait to meet up with Aladdin so that they could start the day together, so she hurried to get herself ready. But as she finished dressing, she was suddenly interrupted by a loud bump at her bedroom window.

_Boom! _The shutters on the window burst open and into the room flew a familiar feathered form. It was Iago, and he rambunctiously moved through the air right into the room. Jasmine jumped back slightly in surprise as her red parrot friend glided into view.

"Good morning, princess!" Iago shouted in a piercing, gravelly voice. "Rise and shine! Time to start a beautiful new day! And it's also time to…..feed the parrot!"

Iago settled down on Jasmine's bed. "I'm sure that you want to give your favorite bird the most luscious breakfast that royalty can afford!" he said with a wide, toothy smile. "I'll just place an order for eggs over easy, a side of Sicilian sausage, a stack of buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup, a fruit salad with all the fixings, a…."

"Iago!" Jasmine yelled in an exasperated tone. "What do you think you're doing breaking into my room while I'm changing?!"

Iago paused. "I….was just trying to get dibs on the best entrees," he finally said.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Iago, you know better than to go barging into someone's bedroom like that. I need privacy. Suppose I hadn't finished changing my clothes yet?"

A guilty grin now covered Iago's face as his eyes took on a sheepish, embarrassed expression. The parrot knew he had screwed up.

"Uhhhhh…" he said, trying desperately to think up a suitable response. "Would it help if I mentioned how ravishing you look this morning? I gotta say, princess, you freshen up real good!"

"Okay, okay," Jasmine said. "You don't have to grovel. I'm not mad. But at least knock next time, and don't be so careless."

"You got it!" Iago affirmed. "No more breaking and entering!"

Now Jasmine exhibited a mischievous smile which crept over her face as she eyed Iago mysteriously. "Of course, you know what this means, though," she said in a crafty tone of voice. "Because of your naughty behavior, I'm going to have to punish you."

Iago's eyes widened. "Punish me?" he asked.

"Yes," Jasmine said as she leaned closer. "Because you've been such a badly behaved parrot, I'm going to have to…_tickle you!"_

Before Iago knew what was happening, Jasmine's fingers were tickling him, and he couldn't stop laughing.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Stop!" he laughed as he squirmed furiously. "Come on! Cut it out! I can't stand it!"

"Do you give up?" Jasmine grinned.

"Yeah, yeah! I give up!" Iago shouted while laughing.

Jasmine stopped tickling him, and Iago breathed heavily with relief. As he began to gradually catch his breath, he fluttered over to perch on Jasmine's right shoulder.

"Whew! I think I almost coughed up my last midnight snack there," Iago commented as he panted audibly.

"You know, Iago, you're so cute when you're acting funny," Jasmine said with a giggle.

Iago looked somewhat shy. "Hey, princess, I'm…sorry about, you know…earlier," he said.

"Don't worry about it," Jasmine smiled as she petted his feathers. "I was really just playing around with you, that's all. Let's head out together."

"Yes ma'am!" Iago grinned.

* * *

Jasmine exited her bedroom and headed down the palace halls, with Iago on her shoulder. In a few moments, they ran into Aladdin down the hall. Jasmine's fiancé came strolling up the corridor with Abu clinging to his shoulders. The little monkey tittered cheerfully when he saw Jasmine and Iago.

"Morning, Jasmine!" Aladdin said enthusiastically as he hurried over to give the princess a hug. "I hope you slept well. It looks like a nice day."

"I had a wonderful rest, Aladdin," Jasmine beamed as she embraced him with tender, affectionate hands. "I felt so good when I woke up this morning. How about you?"

"I always feel good whenever you're in my thoughts," Aladdin smiled. He and Jasmine gazed longingly into each other's eyes while their hands clasped together.

But Iago was getting impatient. "Alright, alright, enough with the cheesy googly-eyes routine," he griped. "Why don't you kids focus on something more constructive? Like feeding some hungry palace pets, for instance?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" chattered Abu, who was smacking his lips loudly.

"See? The monkey knows what I'm talking about," Iago said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Don't worry, Iago, you won't have to wait for breakfast," Aladdin said with a hint of amusement. "They've got food set out in the dining room already. Why don't you and Abu go down there and start eating, and we'll catch up with you soon."

"Now you're talkin'!" Iago rasped. "Let's get going!"

"Better bring Genie, too," Aladdin added. "He's probably ready to start the morning."

Aladdin reached into his vest and produced Genie's lamp, and after giving it a quick rub, a billowing puff of smoke rose from the lamp's spout, and Genie appeared before his friends.

"Hey kids!" the blue jinn exalted. "Nice to see y'all. Just putting on the last-minute touches for my morning fixer-upper." Genie conjured up an electric shaver in one hand and ran it over his cheeks while using his other hand to move a soapy bath brush up and down his back.

"Well, the palace still seems to be in one piece," he observed as he finished up. "The Sultan will be pleased when he gets back in a few days."

"I hope so," Jasmine said. "I want everything to be okay for when father returns from his diplomatic summit."

"That's why we're looking after things in Agrabah," Aladdin noted. "You guys can go start on breakfast while Jasmine and I go over our plans for today."

"Alright!" Genie enthused. "I am totally in the mood for some crispy bacon and some nice hot pancakes!"

"Hey blue boy!" Iago shouted. "Stay away from my pancakes! They're mine!"

"You guys work this out among yourselves," said Aladdin, who was anxious to get the daily routine started as quickly as possible. "We have a lot to think over. There are many important responsibilities that we need to address in the city."

"Feed me," Iago muttered.

"You got it, Al," Genie nodded. "Come on, my starving animal friends, let's hit the dining room. We'll see you kids in a bit!" Genie left the hallway with Abu and Iago, leaving Aladdin and Jasmine alone.

* * *

Jasmine took Aladdin's hand in her own and led him to the palace study, gently stroking his hand with her other hand as they walked inside. In the study, the two of them went over a series of documents outlining plans for taking care of the city and making improvements.

"Aladdin, I can't believe how much good we've been able to do for the city," Jasmine said in a dreamy tone of voice. "Just thinking about the good things we've accomplished for the people of Agrabah makes me feel incredibly happy."

"I know exactly what you mean, Jasmine," Aladdin said as he pored over several papers. "All these plans we've been carrying out over the past few months have been making a real difference for people. We're helping the city's poor people to move into better homes and find better opportunities to improve their lives."

Aladdin looked up from the collection of documents to face Jasmine.

"This is really important to me," he told her. "I spent my life out on the streets, and I've seen the worst kind of poverty up close. I've seen a lot of people suffering. But now I'm able to fight it. I'm finally in a position to help the people I saw suffering for all those years."

Jasmine looked into his eyes with a deeply affectionate gaze that actually sent a tingle up Aladdin's spine. And it wasn't a bad tingle at all; it felt _very_ good.

"You are one of the main reasons that we've been succeeding, Aladdin," she said. "We understood how to help the poor much better because you lived among them for so long. And you made a difference because you are a kind, generous person. It's why I love you."

Aladdin blushed slightly. "I just try to do what I can," he said shyly. "It's not that special. Whatever I do, I do it better because I learn from the best." He clasped her hands softly in his palms.

Now it was Jasmine's turn to appear bashful. "Aladdin, you really don't have to—" she started to say, but she was cut short by her fiancé.

"No, Jasmine, I really mean it," Aladdin insisted, holding her fingers just a tiny bit tighter. "Without you, I'd be nowhere. I would never have known what to do—for myself or for others. You have been my inspiration."

Jasmine felt a sensation of giddiness inside of her as she smiled at Aladdin with an air of genuine pleasure. "You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that," she told him. "All my life, people were telling me that I couldn't do things because I was a woman, or because I was a princess, or both. Then I met you and…you were different. You never stopped believing in me, Aladdin. And you supported me every step of the way. It was truly a dream come true."

"It was the truth," Aladdin said. "I always knew you could do great things for the city, Jasmine. Nobody could ever limit you unfairly. It's not in your nature to be limited like that."

"You _do_ understand!" Jasmine exclaimed with unadulterated enthusiasm. "See, this is exactly what I mean, Aladdin! You understand me—my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams. Lots of other people never understood…but you do. You're a shining light in the darkness."

"It's because you understood me," Aladdin said. "You never overlooked me because of who I was…never overlooked me for being street rat."

"And I never will," Jasmine whispered. She rested her head against his shoulder in a loving manner.

The two of them hugged, and then Aladdin stepped back. Something told him that Jasmine had something else on her mind, that she was concealing some highly personal thoughts. He felt that he just had to ask.

"Jasmine," he ventured, "I can tell that you feel really good about what we're doing, like it means something on a very personal level. Want to talk about it?"

"Oh, it just seems like a part of who I want to be," Jasmine said. "Helping the poor people of this city means a lot because I can't stand to see others suffer. Even when I was a little girl, I knew that there were poor people in Agrabah, and I came to see this world of poverty and hardship more and more as I got older. To tell you the truth, I…I felt guilty in a way. Here I was, a daughter of royalty, living in comfort while so many of our people were barely surviving on a few scraps of bread."

Jasmine hung her head, looking sad and slightly ashamed.

"When I witnessed all this hardship and suffering, I knew it was wrong," she continued. "It was unacceptable. I promised myself that I would do everything I could to fight it. I didn't care what people said; I _was_ going to help others. People kept telling me that it wasn't a princess's proper place to be concerned with such things, but I didn't believe them. It just wasn't right!"

Jasmine let out her words very fervently, and Aladdin nodded with understanding.

"I'm glad you didn't listen to that kind of talk, Jasmine," Aladdin said. "You knew exactly what was right. And you should never feel guilty, because it was never your fault. You were born a princess, and you can't help how you were born. What matters is what kind of person you become…and you're an exceptional person."

In response to Aladdin's words, Jasmine's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks blushed.

"Aladdin, you make me so happy when you say that," she told him. "I never wanted to be some kind of useless royal decoration. I wanted to _do_ things, so that I could help others and be true to myself. It might sound strange, but I always had an overwhelming inner desire to show the whole world that I'm so much more than just a princess."

"It's not strange at all," Aladdin assured. "You deserve to be recognized for your gifts. I know this because I see your gifts every day, Jasmine. You've done so much to help the poor people of Agrabah, and you'll continue to do so. I just want to be there to help you."

"Oh, you will!" Jasmine beamed. "No one has made a bigger difference than you, Aladdin. It was your support that helped me to serve those in need, because you know about their hardships better than anyone."

"I'm really happy that I could," said Aladdin. "After living in poverty for most of my life, being able to lend a hand to those who need it feels great."

"Well, let's keep it up then," Jasmine said affirmatively. "We've been doing very well so far, but there are still many needs left to meet."

Aladdin smiled. "Jasmine, with you on the job, nothing's gonna stop us."

"You are so right about that!" Jasmine declared as her spirits rose. A mischievous, knowing grin grew across her pretty face as she put her hands on her hips and regarded Aladdin with a twinkle in her eye.

"Listen up, people!" she said in an authoritative voice, pretending that she was addressing a large audience like a stage performer. "Are we going to let anyone say that a princess can't save the day?"

"No way!" Aladdin responded with a chuckle, playing along with Jasmine's little gag.

"Who's the princess who's going to stomp out all the stupid ideas about what princesses can't do?" Jasmine asked, quivering with giddy enjoyment.

"You are!" Aladdin said with a grin.

"I can't heeeaaarrr yoooouuuu," Jasmine cooed teasingly, letting a giggle pass her lips.

"You, Princess Jasmine!" Aladdin repeated.

"Thank you, you're a wonderful audience!" Jasmine exalted as she stepped forward and gave Aladdin a hug. The two of them burst out laughing while they were embracing.

"You got a little overexcited there, didn't you?" Aladdin ribbed.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "I had some pent-up energy inside me. I had to let it out," she said with an innocent-looking facial expression.

She and Aladdin laughed again as they kept hugging.

"Well, why don't we join the others for breakfast so we can get started on today's agenda?" Aladdin said.

"Absolutely," Jasmine nodded. "It's about time we did that."

She and Aladdin locked arms together and walked down the hallway to head for the palace dining room.

* * *

After Aladdin and Jasmine had finished eating breakfast with their friends, they prepared to leave the palace to oversee some of the city's important affairs.

"Hey Genie," Aladdin said. "While Jasmine and I are out in the city, do you think you could make sure the palace is clean?"

"You know, that's a good idea," Jasmine added. "Father will be returning in a few days, so we should definitely make sure the palace is nice and neat for his arrival home."

"Don't worry about a thing, Al!" Genie assured. "I've got this covered. I'll bathe this whole emporium in a sea of cleansing, purifying detergent! The best on the market!

Genie turned himself into a laundry detergent can and started spraying soap suds everywhere. Some of the soapy suds landed on Abu and Iago.

"Watch where you're spraying, will ya?!" Iago shouted as he and Abu shook the suds off. "I don't let anybody do my washing for me!"

"Sounds good, Genie," Aladdin was saying. "You can clean the rooms, and Abu and Iago will help you."

Iago rolled his eyes. "Oh goody, housework. Like the bird doesn't have anything better to do with his free time."

"Jasmine and I will take off on Carpet," Aladdin said. "We'll be checking up on the poorer citizens of Agrabah, and we'd also better check on the city's defenses. We need to be prepared to protect the city in case any enemies attack."

"You got that right," Genie agreed. "And if it's a really powerful attack, you and I will probably have to go into our hero routine, Al."

"Right," Aladdin said. "We'll see you guys later!" He whistled for Carpet, who came soaring into the room, looking eager to take off and enjoy the sunny day outside the palace. Aladdin and Jasmine hopped onto Carpet's back, and they were gone two seconds later.

"Okay, my animal sidekicks, let's get this place clean and shiny!" Genie said as he handed mops and scrubbing cloths to Abu and Iago. Abu looked rather displeased.

"You said it, Abu," muttered Iago. "It's bad enough we have to slave away like a couple of pack animals, but we have to do it on a day when we could be thinking up ways to get rich instead!"

"Well, I guess your moneymaking ventures will have to wait another day, bird man," Genie commented as he started scrubbing floors.

"There's no point waiting when there's big money at stake," Iago stated. "Hey, Genie, why don't you invest with me and Abu in our next enterprise? You might get, say, ten percent of the earnings. Or five, if I can help it."

"What are you talking about, bird man?" said Genie. "You heard Al. We've gotta do these chores."

"That's what you think," Iago said with a sly grin. "But I have a brilliant scheme to get out of doing chores. And then we can focus on gettin' some hefty riches!"


	2. Chapter 2

Aladdin and Jasmine were walking all over the city, examining everything to ensure that Agrabah was functioning well. They had inspected the kingdom's defenses to make sure that Agrabah was ready to protect itself from invaders, and now they were heading to one of the poorer neighborhoods in the city. They left Carpet to fly by himself for a while as they went about their business.

Strolling through the crowded streets, they wanted to make sure that Agrabah's poorest citizens were being well cared for. As Aladdin and Jasmine sauntered through the humble, worn-down neighborhoods of the city's poorer sections, they began to see signs of hope for the people who lived there.

The fruits of their recent good works were on display. More of Agrabah's peasant citizens had decent housing now. They were better able to buy decent food, clothing and other necessities. Even though they were still poor, these people at least were no longer living in a state of desperate, unspeakable impoverishment. Hope was alive for them now, and they were better off today than they had been a short time ago.

Aladdin looked on at the newly improved houses, all sheltering families of needy citizens, and he felt a surge of satisfaction inside. When he had lived on the streets of Agrabah, he hadn't just wanted to escape from poverty himself; he had wanted to help others to do the same. All those years of having to fend for himself had made him intimately familiar with the bitter plight of other peasants whom he saw every day.

Now he was actually in a position to do something for them. In partnership with Jasmine, he could truly make a difference in people's lives. It felt so right.

"Jasmine," Aladdin said as they continued through the streets, "I really think we've made things better for a lot of people in Agrabah."

"Oh yes, we have," Jasmine said happily. "It hasn't been easy, but we're succeeding. Too many citizens have waited too long in awful conditions."

"Don't I know it," Aladdin nodded. "It's been too long for many of us."

Jasmine smiled as they walked on, observing the newfound prosperity in some of the neighborhoods. As she and Aladdin strolled further, however, Jasmine's eyes were met with a new bleakness. Not all of the city's neighborhoods had improved. On the contrary, some of Agrabah's peasants were still living in miserable conditions.

She caught sight of a group of decrepit old houses, with poorly maintained infrastructure, in which several poor families resided. A few children trudged through the street to head into their homes. Jasmine could tell from their frayed clothing and their melancholy expressions that they had lived in pitiable conditions for some time, and had meager choices for food.

Jasmine hung her head in shame. Turning away from the lamentable sight, her facial expression instantly changed to one of profound sadness. Aladdin noticed the sudden change very quickly.

"Jas, are you okay?" he wondered, concern creeping into his voice.

"Oh, Aladdin," Jasmine said, suddenly stirring from her somberness. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to cause you concern. It's just that…I know how much we've managed to do for many less fortunate people, but I just can't help feeling frustrated by what hasn't changed. There are still so many people we haven't been able to help yet…and I…I feel terrible when I see that."

"I know, I know," Aladdin said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to see people suffer, too. But don't let it overwhelm you, Jasmine. And definitely don't blame yourself."

"I guess I feel this way partly because I'm supposed to be their future ruler," Jasmine said sadly. "I already feel for their suffering to begin with, but knowing that the responsibility for their well-being falls partly on me makes the feeling even worse."

She sighed heavily. "I desperately want to help people who need me. I don't want to become insular. I don't want to be an uncaring ruler. I've had a blessed life in so many ways, and the fact that others are suffering in the meantime…it's not right! It's not fair, and I can't help feeling this way about it!"

Jasmine sniffed slightly as she cast her head downward. Aladdin took her in his arms and hugged her.

"I understand," he said. "And you're right—it's not fair. But we're making a difference, Jasmine. I know it. And as time goes on, we'll help more of those in need."

"Sometimes I just wish I could take away people's suffering," Jasmine said.

"Of course you do," Aladdin agreed. "That's because you're a kind, compassionate person. It's why I love you."

Jasmine's shining eyes appeared misty and wistful as Aladdin spoke, taking in his words with genuine gratitude.

"You can't solve all the world's problems yourself," Aladdin continued. "None of us can. But we can still do everything in our power to make people happier. We just need to try."

"I'm so grateful that you and I are able to do something," Jasmine said. "It's just that sometimes I feel as if I'm not doing enough."

"Jasmine, you don't have to prove anything to anyone," Aladdin told her gently. "You are a wonderful person, and I've always known it. And the world knows it because they've seen your kindness and your goodness, and what it's done for others."

In response to these words, Jasmine felt her heart lift with unbridled elation, and she embraced her fiancé as a sweep of joy took shape inside her.

"Thank you, Aladdin," she said softly. "Thank you so much. And I'm sorry for being so emotional. I really shouldn't be burdening you with all this."

"You are never a burden, Jasmine," Aladdin said. "Whenever you feel something like this, I want you to always tell me."

Jasmine nodded yes and smiled. Then she reached into her pouch and drew out a small sack containing a collection of foods she had purchased earlier for lunch. Inside were fruits, vegetables, bread, and roast duck.

"Someone needs this more than me," she said. "It's the least I can do right now."

So saying, she walked over to one of the impoverished homes and left the lunch sack on the doorstep where the family inside would find it. Then she rejoined Aladdin, and the two of them strolled down the streets holding hands, heading back to the marketplace to meet up with Carpet so that they could fly back to the palace.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Aladdin and Jasmine, Iago and Abu were engaged in a rather different exercise back at the palace. The parrot and the monkey had been implementing Iago's newest get-rich-quick scheme during the time that Aladdin and Jasmine were away. And naturally, the two animals had no time to do chores while they were thus occupied.

"Come on, monkey boy!" Iago urged. "Let's keep things rolling here! It's no small task running the biggest pawnbroker business in all of Agrabah!"

The palace was now a giant pawn shop, and all of its expensive furniture was now being used as collateral to offer to other pawn shops throughout the city in order to secure large sums of money in loans. A large collection of palace antiques and furniture were now missing, because they had all been sent to pawn shops.

"Oh boy! This is my most brilliant moneymaking idea ever!" Iago shouted. "First we lend out the palace's furniture to other pawnbrokers and get big loans in return! Then we use the palace treasury to cover some of the loans and other expenses, and we use the leftover money to make our own loans and replace the palace's furniture with cheaper furniture that other people want to pawn! It's perfect!"

Abu was pushing a wheelbarrow full of money made from their latest loans, and he dumped the money out of the wheelbarrow and into a large pile of coins in the middle of the throne room.

"Good, good!" Iago said. "We're really gonna reap profits on this gig! Just look at all the beautiful money flowing in!"

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!" Abu agreed as he looked hungrily at the pile of gold coins. Abu loved gold and shiny objects.

"And as my right-hand monkey," Iago added, "I'm making you the vice president of my pawnbroker company!"

"Oh boy!" Abu chattered excitedly.

"Alright, Mr. Vice President," Iago said. "Please bring in our newest furniture addition for the palace."

Abu ran into the hallway, and then came back into the throne room pulling a large chair by a rope. It was a rather cheap-looking chair, obviously much less in value and quality than the chair it was replacing. Abu pulled the chair into the throne room and set it up in the spot where the more expensive chair used to be.

"You see, Mr. Vice President?" Iago said to Abu. "After we lend out the palace's furniture, we can just borrow other people's furniture to replace it. We just use the money we've made and some money from the palace treasury to give out loans on this stuff.

"And you know what that means? It means we don't even have to do any chores! All this cheap furniture is already cleaned and dusted. And we don't have to clean or dust any of the old furniture, because we've loaned it all to other pawnbrokers!"

Iago started greedily fingering the gold coins in the pile of money.

"And none of this would have been possible without Genie," he added with a grin. "It's a good thing I was able to convince him that this pawnbroker business would be a big benefit to the palace. With Genie's magic, we can contact pawn shops all over Agrabah instantaneously, and we can send furniture back and forth across the city in the blink of an eye!"

Just then, Genie himself appeared in the throne room in a puff of smoke. In one hand, he held a sack of money, and in the other hand, he held a sack of cheap furniture.

"Hey guys," he said. "Iago, I've got the latest load of inexpensive furniture that our customers want to pawn here. And I've got the latest profits from our lending!"

"Stupendous!" Iago declared. "Genie, you are one fine messenger and delivery boy!"

"Glad I could help," Genie said. "But are you sure this pawnbroker business is gonna be good for the palace? I'm not sure Al and Jas will be happy when they find so many palace antiques missing."

"Oh, stop worrying," Iago said dismissively. "This business is great for the palace! Besides, Al will come around when he sees how great it is. We just need to keep it a secret for a little while first. Then we'll stash away all our loot before Al suspects a thing!"

"Okay, but I'm still not sure he's going to be happy about it," Genie said warily.

"Let me worry about stuff like that," Iago said impatiently. "I'm the president of this new company. You just make sure the deliveries keep going through."

Genie shrugged. "If you say so, bird man." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Iago turned to Abu. "Well, Mr. Vice President, let's start counting the money!"

Abu eagerly dove into the pile of money and gathered up large bunches of coins, and he and Iago started avidly examining their gains.

* * *

Aladdin and Jasmine flew back to the palace on Carpet, and Carpet flew to the window of Jasmine's bedroom to let her off inside.

Jasmine started to step off Carpet to climb through the window into her room. She held up a pouch of official scrolls and papers as she climbed down.

"I'll be with you in a minute, Aladdin," she told her fiancé. "I just need to put all these official documents and notes in my room for safekeeping. We've needed them to keep track of all the activities in the city that need our attention."

"Sure, Jasmine," Aladdin replied. "You put the documents away and Carpet and I will meet you in the throne room."

Jasmine climbed through her window into her bedroom, and Aladdin took off through the air on Carpet. But he hadn't gotten far before he heard Jasmine's voice calling to him.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine called out. "Could you come in here a minute?"

"Let's turn around, Carpet," Aladdin said, and Carpet spun around in midair and headed for Jasmine's window. Aladdin and Carpet flew through the window into Jasmine's room and found the princess with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Aladdin," she said, "does something look different about my bed?"

Aladdin looked and saw that Jasmine was right. It looked as if a completely different bed had replaced Jasmine's old one. The bed that was now standing in the middle of the room was much cheaper-looking and less attractive, with rough edges and somewhat worn-out wood.

"This can't be your bed," Aladdin observed.

"I know," Jasmine nodded. "But what happened to my own bed? I don't remember scheduling any furniture moving for today."

Carpet looked confused as well as he hovered in the air looking over the rough-looking bed.

"Come on," Aladdin said. "Let's check my room."

Aladdin, Jasmine and Carpet hurried down the hall to the bedroom where Aladdin normally slept when staying at the palace. When they got inside, they gasped. There was no bed at all in Aladdin's room! There was just a big empty space where the bed used to be.

"What's going on here?!" Aladdin shouted. "Where's my bed? There's no bed anywhere at all in this room!"

"Something weird is going on here," Jasmine observed. "Let's check the throne room."

The three companions ran down to the throne room, where they found still more confusion. Much of the furniture was all wrong. It was old and worn-looking, and it obviously wasn't up to palace standards. The usual luxurious pieces of furniture were missing.

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "If this is someone's idea of redecorating, they have very odd tastes," she commented wryly.

"This doesn't make sense," Aladdin said. "We've got to get to the bottom of this!"

Aladdin hurried out of the throne room, followed by Jasmine and Carpet. As they headed down a hallway, Aladdin looked down at the floor and saw three gold coins. Puzzled, he picked them up.

"What are these coins doing lying in the middle of the floor?" he wondered. "Maybe it's a clue. Let's check it out."

They turned and headed down the hallway where the coins had been lying. When they had gone a few feet, Jasmine suddenly halted.

"Stop!" she said. "I hear something."

"Can you tell where it's coming from?" Aladdin asked.

Jasmine pressed her hands against a wall and held her right ear close to it. "I think I hear voices," she said. "It sounds like they're coming from a few feet down this way—right near my father's study."

"Good work," Aladdin said. "Let's head for the Sultan's study."

Aladdin, Jasmine and Carpet rushed toward the door to the Sultan's study. The door was locked. As they leaned closer, they heard a couple of familiar voices coming from inside.

"This is the life, monkey boy!" said one voice. "Counting a truckload of money sure beats doing chores! Who needs all that fancy furniture anyway?"

"Uh huh!" chattered another voice. "Eek eek eek!"

"You said it, Mr. Vice President!" the first voice replied.

Outside the door of the study, Aladdin and Jasmine glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. Then Aladdin's expression changed to a sly grin, and he raised an eyebrow in Jasmine's direction as if to say, "Shall we?"

Jasmine smiled mischievously and nodded in agreement. Aladdin leaned close to Jasmine and whispered something in her ear. When Jasmine heard what he said, she grinned wickedly and let her eyes dance with eager anticipation. Aladdin reached into a pocket of his trousers and produced small metal clip with a sharp tip, which served as a lock pick.

Jasmine nodded with approval, and took the lock pic from Aladdin for a moment. She pulled and readjusted the tip of the lock pick with her fingers ever so slightly, to make sure it was as straight as possible, and handed it back to Aladdin. Aladdin took back the pick as he and Jasmine both smirked at each other, and they both shook hands. Then Aladdin started prying the metal pick through the lock of the study's door while Jasmine and Carpet waited behind him.

In a few seconds, there was a small but audible click, and the lock to the door came open. Aladdin then threw the door open, and Jasmine rushed inside. In the study were Abu and Iago, poring over a large pile of coins. They gasped when they saw Jasmine running through the door straight at them!

"Aargh!" cried Iago. He tried to fly away, but he was too late. Jasmine grabbed him by the tail feathers and held him up in the air with an unamused expression on her face. Meanwhile, Aladdin had run into the room and grabbed Abu. The monkey shrieked in surprise.

"Abu!" Aladdin shouted. "What are you and Iago doing?! Can't I trust you with anything?!"

"Iago, what in the world is going on here?" Jasmine demanded. She held the parrot firmly by the feathers on his back and glared angrily at him.

"Would you believe that I was playing Monopoly and that this is all play money?" he asked timidly. But Jasmine's glare only grew icier, making the parrot cringe.

"Iago, the whole palace is out of order!" Jasmine said. "And I know you're responsible. What have you and Abu been doing?"

Iago hesitated. "Well…I kinda started my own pawnbroker business…and I pawned a lot of the palace furniture and antiques."

"You what?!" Jasmine shouted. "Iago, don't you know how much trouble this is?! Father will be coming home soon!"

"It just seemed like a sweet business opportunity," Iago said sheepishly.

Aladdin glared at Abu. "Abu, I can't believe you and Iago caused so much trouble while we were gone!" he scolded.

"Hey, careful with the monkey!" Iago called out. "He's my vice president!"

"Iago, how did you even manage to move so much furniture in so little time?" Jasmine asked.

"I…kinda persuaded Genie that this was a good gig for the palace and got him to use his magic to do it," Iago admitted.

Jasmine sighed in exasperation. "Well, as soon as Genie comes back, you're going to have him return all this money and get back all our furniture. And then you, Abu and Genie will put everything back where it belongs," she said sternly.

"I should've known you guys would try to get out of doing chores," Aladdin said. "You two had better stay out of trouble so Jasmine and I can take care of the city in peace."

Just then, a puff of smoke appeared in the room and Genie materialized. He was carrying two sacks of money.

"Hey guys, we just got some new loans and—" he started to say. Then he saw that Aladdin and Jasmine were in the room.

"Oh hi, Al," he said nervously. "We…didn't expect you back so soon. Nice day, huh?"

"Genie, why did you help Iago turn the palace into a giant pawn shop?" Aladdin asked.

"Uh…well…I guess I thought the business would be good for the palace," Genie said. "At least I think that was my reason. It all sounded a lot better when Iago was explaining it to me."

"Well please put everything back to normal, Genie," Aladdin urged. "Jasmine and I have a city to run. We can't afford all these antics right now."

"Roger, Al," Genie said. "I'll get back our furniture and return the cheap stuff, and I'll return all this money and get back any money that we loaned out."

"Good, please do it quickly," Jasmine said. "I really want things to be in order when father returns."

She then stared at Iago. "Iago, no more of these ridiculous stunts. Do you understand me?" she said in a militant tone.

"Sure, princess, sure!" Iago said quickly. "I'll help straighten everything out! My love for gold just gets to me sometimes, okay?"

So Jasmine and Aladdin let Iago and Abu go with Genie to dismantle the pawn business.

* * *

A little while later, Genie had returned everything where it was supposed to be, and Abu and Iago were pushing some of the palace's tables and chairs back into their usual spots.

"All finished, Al!" Genie reported. "Everything's back in place, and the pawnbroker company is officially out of business!"

"Thanks, Genie," said Aladdin. "At least that crisis is done. We've got so much else to worry about running the kingdom."

"Yeah, that's for sure," Genie nodded. "Why just imagine if there was an attack on Agrabah! Something so powerful that our normal defenses wouldn't be enough to stop it! Then we'd really have a crisis on our hands!"

Just then, a series of loud noises were heard coming from outside the palace. Jasmine ran to a window and looked out.

"Something's happening in the middle of the city!" she shouted. "There's some kind of commotion! I can't tell what's happening out there, but it doesn't look good!"

"Agrabah may be under attack!" Aladdin realized. "We have to go see!"

Iago glared at Genie. "You just had to jinx us, didn't you?" he muttered.

"Come on, guys!" Aladdin called out. "Let's find out what all the trouble is!"

Everyone leapt onto Carpet's back and flew out of the palace, heading toward the center of Agrabah.


End file.
